The Troika (1986)

The beautiful Palekh box, completed in 1986, shows a driver piloting three horses through the Russian snow. The horses themselves are done with great flair and their manes are lit up with accents of fine gold leaf lines. The driver is business like - he has a job to do. Behind him the mustached young man and his partner remain relatively calm as they cuddle up together. The box has a neatly drawn dot ornament on the top, and a more elaborate ornament on the sides. It is made out of high quality papier mache and sits flat. On the bottom of the composition, the name of the artist, village, year and a box specific number are all written. On the bottom of the box itself, "Made in USSR" is written. The surface lacquer is still pretty good for its age, and there are no significant cracks or flaws. The box dates back to the early days of Perestroika and the care-free spirit of the troika rushing ahead to God-knows-where could be seen as a metaphor for Russian society at the time. It was done by the late accredited Palekh artist Yurij Baranov.

Lacquerbox Condition Ratings

Surface Condition (exterior)

Surface Condition (interior/bottom)

Box Materials and Soundness

Hinge and Lid Placement

Signature

Total Rating

Mother-of-pearl Condition

9.0

9.5

10.0

10.0

10.0

48.5

N/A

(Each category rated 1-10. For low scores, look for explanation in the description of box. In general, any total rating over 40 is excellent. For more information on rating system, click here.)